Cheynes IV Whale Chaser - Whale World, Albany WA

The Cheynes IV is Australia's only accessible whale chaser giving visitors the opportunity to explore the whole vessel and experience a whale hunt through audio re-enactment.

The steam powered whaler Cheynes IV was built in 1948 by Framnaes Mek Vaerksted A/S (Shipyard), Sandefjord, Norway, Yard No 140. She was built for the Union Whaling Co. Ltd, Durban South Africa and paid off in 1967. Launched as W. Fearnhead, and was later renamed Wilfrid Fearnhead.

In 1969, she was purchased by Cheynes Beach Whaling Company Pty Ltd. Albany in Western Australia to replace the worn out Gascoyne, a German built veteran launched in 1936 and operated by the company since 1966.

She was sailed to Fremantle from South Africa by a crew of the Cheynes Beach Whaling Company employees, a trip which took seventeen days and arrived in Fremantle in March 1970. She was re-named Cheynes IV and after passing all State Maritime requirements, hunted whales for the Cheynes Beach Whaling Company from March 14th 1970 until its closure on November 21st 1978.

The Cheynes IV was laid up (in the care of Axel Christensen) a former skipper, at the Albany Town Jetty until she was towed to her present location by the Albany Port Authority tug M V Avon on September 2nd, 1981.

Lloyd’s Register of Shipping details - As Per Original Documentation

Late Names                             Launched as W. Fernhead

                                                Renamed as Wilfrid Fernhead

Length Overall                        149.1 feet       (45.44 metres)

Breadth extreme                      29 feet and 8 inches    (9 metres)

Draught Summer                     17 Feet    (5.1 metres)

Gross registered tonnage        530 tons

Summer deadweight               180 tons

Power                                      4-cylinder compound steam engine. (2 high pressure and 2 low pressure cylinders) generating 1750 horsepower.

2 Foster Wheeler oil-fired boilers.

Propulsion                               Single Crew

Bunkers                                  223 tons of fuel oil for the furnaces.

Navigation Aids:                      Compass - Gyro. Sperry Minor, mark E1. With

                                                a transmitter, bridge repeater and course recorder.



Radio                                     T.R.A.N.S. receiver type S.535/3.

Radar                                    R.C.A. type Model CR 103

Direction Finder                     Telefunken P.E. 310

Sonar                                      Simrad Asdic (for detecting whales).